Official Blog of the Frederick Keys – Advanced 'A' Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles

Frederick native Kline picks up save with O’s

Frederick native Branden Kline got his first taste of big league baseball Thursday afternoon, and came out of it with a save.

It took three batters for Kline, Baltimore’s second-round pick in 2012, to retire the final out of a 10-7 Orioles win over the Yankees in Grapefruit League play. Kline entered the spring training game with two outs and the bases loaded and gave up a hit and a walk that scored two of his inherited runners before inducing the game-clinching ground-out.

Kline leads off this week’s edition of The Frederick 40 countdown. A graduate of Thomas Johnson High School, Kline grew up just minutes away from Harry Grove Stadium. He became the highest-drafted Fredericktonian ever when the O’s selected him after his junior season at the University of Virginia. A 6-3, 195-pound right-hander, Kline went 6-3 in 72 innings pitched, striking out 76 and walking 31 in his final collegiate season.

*Yesterday’s pair of split-squad games for the O’s against the Yankees and Boston saw plenty of recent former Keys and likely 2013 Keys receive playing time. Kline entered the afternoon contest with New York after 2012 Key Devin Jones recorded two outs, gave up one run and left the bases loaded. Also against the Yankees, 2012 Key John Ruettiger walked and scored, 2011 Key Manny Machado hit third and went 1-for-2, 2012 Keys Brenden Webb and Glynn Davis also got in the game.

Against the Red Sox, former Keys Xavier Avery and Chris Petrini played while Zach Britton pitched and Buck Britton saw time in the field in the nightcap as well. Potential 2013 Key Nick Delmonico walked in his lone at-bat.

*Allan de San Miguel, a 2012 Key, is on Australia’s World Baseball Classic roster. The Aussies kick off WBC play Friday night at 11:30 p.m. against Chinese Taipei.

*2011-12 Key Steve Bumbry played for Great Britain’s WBC team in qualifiers, but the Brits were eliminated. More on his WBC experience tomorrow.

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